Nut anchoring device



March 17, 1953 e. A. TINNERMAN 2,631,534

NUT ANCHORING DEVICE Original Filed May 22, 1947 ISnuenlor o 20 25 5/ 2 1 Bu w fi/XW Gnorneg Patented Mar. 17, 1953 a NUT ANCHORING DEVICE George A. Tinnerman, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to Tinnerman Products, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio,

a corporation of Ohio Original application May 22, 1947, Serial No. 749,757. Divided and this application April 5, 1951, Serial No. 219,491 I This invention relates in general to nut fastened installations and deals, more particularly, with improvements in nut holding devices for attachingstandard nuts, tapped plates, and the like, in fastening position in an assembly prior to the application of a cooperating bolt or similar fastener thereto for securing the parts of the installation. This application is a division of prior copending application Serial Number 749,- 757 filed May 22, 1947 and now Patent 2,552,499 issued May 8, 1951.

. In many assemblies, it is necessary or desirable muse a standard nut and bolt fastening mean but it is usually a dimcult problem, especially in blind locations, for the'operator to hold the nut in place as the bolt is applied, or otherwise, to maintain the nut against rotation during the final tightening of the bolt therewith. In most assemblies in which the rearward side of a part is not conveniently or readily accessible for holding a nut in fastening position prior to application' of the bolt, it is necessary to resort to some form of riveting, welding or other attaching means for retaining the nut in fastening position.

In the average installation requiring a cheap, inexpensive nut holdingmeans, the cost of welding or' riveting clinch-on ,nut holding devices, and the like, generally is so expensive as to make the thereof prohibitive. Similarly, sheet metal, cage type'of nut holding devices hereto fore available are objectionably expensive and complicated, and" otherwise disadvantageous inrequiring :an entirely inordinate'amount of time for attaching the same in fastening position in an installation. 1 g i Alprimary object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide an improved sheet metal nut holder or retainer which is relatively simple andinexpensive to manufacture and includes in its construction a simplified, easily and quickly appliedclip'type of attaching means in the form ofja pairof cooperating spring arms adapted to clasp-a part'adjacent a bolt opening therein to hold the nuti'n' attached fastening position over said b'olt' opening, together with an auxiliary supporting hook adapted to'engage a marginal portion of the bolt opening to reinforce and rigidify the nut holder in such attached fastening position; icAfurther object of the invention is to provide a nut holder of this character comprising a pair of arms for embracing the apertured part to which the nut is tobe attached, together with means on one, of said arms adapted to lock the nut ho d r t -at ch d fa ni g PQ Q in 2 Claims. (Cl. 15141.75)

junction with the said auxiliary supporting hook.

Another object of the invention is to provide a nut holder such as described in which the look ing means on one of the arms of the nut holder is designed to serve also as a locating or positioning element for guiding the nut holder in the application thereof to attached fastening posishowing the construction of the locating and locking detent on the attaching arm of the nut holder represented in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of an assembled nut and nut holder as initially applied to attach the same to an apertured part, and with the subsequent position thereof substantially as represented in dotted lines; a Figure 4 is a sectional view showing the assembled nut and nut holder in final attached position with a bolt about to be applied thereto to complete a fastening installation; Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5- of Figure 4 looking in the direction of the arrows; and,

v Figure 6 is a view looking from the underside of Figure 3 showing the application of the nut holder in substantially the position illustrated in dotted hnes in Figure 3.

Figure 7 is a bottom plan view of another form of nut holder embodying an attaching arm and auxiliary supporting hook construction similar to the nut holdershown in Figures 1-6 inclusive and, Y i i Figure 8 isa sectional view showing the nut holder of Figure 7 in attached position on an apertured part.

Generally speaking, a nut holder constructed in accordance with the present invention is best provided from any suitable, sheet metal strip material, preferably tempered spring metal; or cold rolled metal having spring-like characteris ties. The nut holding portion of the device may be provided in various forms to accommodate any selected type of nut, together with an iinproved attaching means including an attaching arm, or the like and an auxiliary supporting hook. Preferably the attaching arm is provided with a locking detent serving as an. indexing or positioning means together with an adjacent sight opening which advantageously facilitates application of the nut holder to the attached fastening position of the nut carried thereby.

Referring now, more particularly, to the drawings, Figure 1 shows one form of the improved nut holder in which a sheet metal strip is bent into a substantial S-shape to define a pair of cooperating nut holding arms comprising a top arm I and an intermediate arm or base 2 having aligned bolt passages 3, 4, respectively. Said nut holding arms I, 2, are spaced by a connecting portion or web 5 and are designed to hold, in frictionally and grippingly assembled relation therebetween, any selected form of nut, N, Figure 4.

In the present example, a standard square nut N is shown retained in clamped relation between the arms I, 2, and is held against endwise dis placement or removal from between said arms by a downwardly bent end flange or shoulder 6 engaging the adjacent outer end face of the nut. Preferably an upwardly flared tongue or guide surface I is provided on the extremity of said arm I in order to facilitate the initial application of the nut to clamped relation between said arms I, 2, as aforesaid. In order to rigidify the arm' I in such clamped relation with'the nut, strengthening ribs 8 are provided at the junction of said arm with the adjacent connecting or web portion 5.

On the lower arm 2, there are provided upturned flange ID that are partially severed from said arm 2 to define nut retainingfingers having free ends which are bent to form inwardly extending shoulders II which engage the outer end face of the nut in cooperation with the flange or shoulder 6 on arm I. Preferably the free ends of said fingers are provided with outwardly flaring yieldable guide surfaces I2 which facilitate the application of the nut to assembled relation with the nut holder. In an alternate construction similar side flanges I and fingers II may be providedon the top arm I of the nut holder with or without those onthe arm 2, just described.

The arrangement of the arms I, 2, of the nut holder otherwise is such that the nut N is readily snapped therebetween to a position in which the thread opening in the nut is aligned with the bolt passages 3, 4, in said arms, as best seen in Figure 4. In such assembled relation, the shoulder 6 on the top arm I and the shoulders II on the side flanges I0 engage the outer end face of the nut, the flanges I0 engage the side faces thereof, and the web engages the opposite end face of the nut to retain the same in assembled relation with the nut holder and prevent turning of the nut when a cooperating bolt is applied thereto and rotated in tightened fastening position. Assembly of the nut with the nut holder is facilitated by the outwardly tapered guide surface I on the top arm I in that the end face of the nut on being initially applied engages said guide surface in a camming action to cause the same to spread apart from the arm or base 2 as necessary to admit the nut between said arms to the assembled relation of the nut with the nut holder, whereupon the shoulder 6 snaps into engagement with the adjacent face of the nut. Similarly, in the initial application 4 of the nut to assembled relation with the nut holder, the guide surfaces I2 on the side flanges ID are cammed apart as necessary to permit the shoulders II to snap into retaining relation with the nut in cooperation with the shoulder 6 on the top arm I of the nut holder, as aforesaid.

In providing the bolt passage 4 in the arm 2 of the nut holder, the metal in this area is cut out except for an integral strip which is bent at the periphery of the bolt passage to form a shouldered hook I6 including a shoulder I5, Figure 4, extending in underlying relation to the arm 2 and spaced therefrom .a distance approximating the thickness of the part to which the nut holder is to be attached. The hook I6 is suitably designed in the completed nut holder to pass through the bolt aperture in the supporting part P, as illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 3, and to cooperate with the attaching arm 20 of the nut holder in supporting the nut holder on said part at spaced points, as seen in Figure 4, so that the attachment of the nut holder to the supporting part is one of high strength and rigidity.

The attaching arm 20 of the nut holder is formed by a generally U-shaped return bend of an end portion on the intermediate arm or base 2 and terminates substantially below the bolt passage 4 therein. As best seen in Figure 2, the extremity of the attaching arm 20 is recessed in a manner to define a suitable sight opening 22 and an adjacent locking projection or detent 23. Preferably, said detent 23' is formed from a marginal edge portion of the,

sight opening 22 to define a generally semicircular inzflxing or positioning element which snugly engages the periphery of a bolt opening in a [part to retain the assembled nut and nut holder in attached position thereon. The locking detent 23 preferably has its upper edge surface tapered generally downwardly and outwardly toward the free end of arm 20 to define an inclined cam surface which provides a flared opening between said arm 20 and the cooperating intermediate arm or base 2.

As best seen in Figures 3 and 4, with the assembled nut and nut holder provided substantially as aforesaid, the attaching arm 20 is adapted to be applied 'over an edge of, part P to a position in which the nut holder retains the nut N in registration with the bolt opening-25 in said part. In the initial application of the nut holder, as seen in Figure 3, the hook II;

passes over the part P on the side opposite to that at which the attaching -arm20 is disposed, and as the nut, holder is pushed to the position represented in dotted lines, said hook I6 is received in the bolt opening 25 and is adapted to extend therethrough to the same side of the part P which is engaged by the attaching arm 20. Thus, when the nut holder is pushed to its fully attached position, shown in Figure4,the hook I6 engages the marginal portion of part P adjacent the bolt .opening 25 and cooperates with the attaching arm 20 insupporting'the nut holder in fully attached position.

Preferably, the normal spacing of the resilient attaching arm 20 from cooperating intermediate arm 2 is somewhat less than the thickness of part P such that said attaching arm 20 must be spread slightly outwardly over the edge of said part. The nut holder is then pushed to the position represented in dotted lines in Figure 3, and in Figure 6, and finally to fully alt-- tached fastening position inwhich the arm .2 and attachingarm 2n resiliently clasp said part, as represented in Figure 4. In this respect, the inclined cam surface of the locking detent 23 defines a flared entrance at the leading end of the attaching arm 20 which facilitates the initial application thereof to part P by causing a gradual-outward camming of said arm as'necessary to clear the edge of the part easily and quickly. In such initially applied position, as shown in plan in Figure 6, the sight opening 22 on the attaching arm 20 leaves thebolt passage 25 in part P uncovered and fully visible such that the attaching arm of the nut holder may be guided readily, in the least amount of time and effort, to the proper attaching position in which the locking detent 23 thereon will snap into said bolt opening 25' in the final applied fastening position of the nut on said part P, substantially as shown in Figures 4 and 5. The locking detent 23 is preferably semicircular, and thereby snugly engages a material edge portion of the circular-bolt opening 25, as best seen in Figure 5, to lock the nut holder in fully attached position, while otherwise leaving a sufliciently large passage for receiving any suitable bolt fastener 26, Figure 4, to be applied to the nut N to secure a member M to said part P in a completed fastening installation.

, The nut holder is applied to'attached fastening position and functions in such attached fastening position substantially in the manner detion of the bolt opening 25 to prevent shifting of the nut holder over said opening while the hook I6 grippingly engages the part P adjacent said opening in cooperation with the attaching arm 20. The nut holder is thus secured over the bolt opening at spaced points which provides an exceptionally strong attachment. The hook [6 otherwise removes any tendency toward displacement of the nut and nut carrying arm or base 2 from attached fastening position as a result of possible hinging of said nut carrying arm 2 away from the part P, as might be the case when the attaching arm 20 only is employed without the benefit of said supporting hook it. In addition, the detent 23, on the attaching arm 20 serves to lock the nut holder in attached position, as aforesaid, and accordingly, the various described securing and attaching elements all cooperate in providing an improved, highly practical nut holder which may be attached in a minimum of time and effort to provide a strong, durable and locked installation of the nut and nut holder in attached position on the part to be secured.

Figures 7 and 8 show a further form of the invention in which the nut holder embodies an attaching arm 20 and auxiliary supporting hook I6 which are generally similar in construction, application and use to that described with reference to Figures 1-6 inclusive. The attaching arm 20 and the cooperating nut carrying arm 30 may be made as long as necessary in order that the nut N may be positioned over a bolt opening 25 a relatively greater distance inwardly of the edge of the panel P. Adjacent the connected portions of said arms, the width of the strip is reduced so that the flexibility of said arms is increased in order to facilitate the application of welded or similarly attached over a suitable opening in the nut supporting arm 39. In the present example, the nut carrying arm 30 is provided with a rectangular opening 3| and the nut N is of standard rectangular design having on its underface projecting lugs 35 which are so spaced and designed as to be received within said opening 3! in snug engagement with the corner recesses thereof so that turning of the nut in said opening is prevented. The lugs 35 are peened or otherwise deformed so as to overlap the adjacent marginal portion of said opening 3! and thereby firmly, and rigidly unite the nut N to the nut carrying arm 30. The auxiliary supporting hook i6 is formed from an integral tongue or strip portion which is provided for in the cutout which is made in forming the opening 3| in the nut carrying arm 30 and this strip is bent to define the required auxiliary supporting hook It. The completed nut holder shown in Figures 7 and 8, accordingly, embodies the same general attaching features as that described with reference to Figures 16 inclusive and is adapted for application and use in the same general manner.

While the invention has been described in detail with specific examples, such examples are intended as illustrations only inasmuch as the invention fully contemplates various modifications which may be provided without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A fastener comprising a sheet metal body bent to provide a pair of arms having free ends and extending in the same general direction for clasping an apertured part therebetween to hold the fastener in fastening position on said part, one of said arms being an attaching arm for engaging said part adjacent the aperture therein, the other arm being a nut carrying arm provided with an opening and a preformed hook defined by a strip having a junction with the edge of said opening nearest the free end of said nut carrying arm, said strip being provided from the material of said nut carrying arm inside the periphery of said opening therein, a portion of said strip adjoining said junction being bent to depend from said junction below said nut carrying arm and substantially in line with the edge of said opening from which it depends, the remaining portion of said strip being bent to extend in spaced relation to said nut carrying arm and outwardly in the same general direction as said attaching arm for engaging a, marginal portion of the aperture in said partin cooperation with said attaching arm, a nut on said nut carrying arm, said nut having its entire underface in substantially a single plane and provided with spaced lugs projecting from said underface of the nut a distance slightly greater than the thickness of said nut carrying arm, said underface of the nut being seated on the outer surface of said nut carrying arm over said opening therein with only said spaced lugs extending into said opening, said spaced lugs including a pair of spaced lugs at opposite sides of said preformed hook and in spaced relation to said hook, said spaced lugs being deformed in said opening to anchor the nut on said nut carrying arm with said spaced lugs substantially flush with the inner surface of said nut carrying arm and with said hook extending completely clear of the nut.

2. Av fastener comprising a: sheet metal body bentto provide apair'oi arms having free ends:

and extending? in the same general direction for clasping an apertured part therebetween to hold the fastener in fastening position on said part, one of said arms being an attaching arm for engaging said part adjacent the aperture therein and" including a projection receivable in said,

aperture to lock the fastener in attached position, the other arm being a nut carryingv arm provided withv a. rectangular opening having opposite straight-edges extending generally transversely of: said. nut carrying arm, a preformed hookdefined' by a strip having a junction with the mid portion of the transversely extending straight edge of said rectangular opening nearest the free end of said nut carrying arm, said strip being provided from the" material oi"- said nut carrying arm inside the periphery of said rectangular' opening thereirra portion of said strip adjoining said junction being bent to depend on. said nut carrying arm,lsaid nut having its entire underfacein substantially, asin'gle plane and provided with spaced lugs projectingfrom said underface of the nut a distance slightly greater than the thickness of said nut carrying arm, said underface of the nut being seated on theouter surface of-said nut carrying arm over said rectangular opening therein with only said spaced lugs extending into said rectangular opening, said spaced lugs beingpositioned-in the cornersof said rectangular opening andincl'uding a pair of spaced 1ugs at opposite sides of said preformed hook and in spaced relation to said hook, said spaced lugs being deformed in said corners of said rectangular opening to anchor the nut on said nutcarryingarm with said spaced lugs substantially flush with the inner surface of said nut carrying arm and. with said hook extending completely clear of said nut.

GEORGEA. TINNERMANL REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

